Look What I Found...

I know you are not at all surprised, at least you shouldn't be. I've written, a time or two, about my obsession with silver.

The goblets were in horrible shape when I found them at a yard sale. I should have taken "before" photos, but I didn't want you to get the wrong impression about their loveliness. And they are lovely.

They have a few bad spots, but that's okay. Most beautiful things have some sort of flaw, right?One thing to know. I shot these photos with my big girl camera, the Canon 5D Mark II. LOVE this camera! Anyway, I used my 50mm lens with it set on 1.8 aperture. This is what gives you a crisp close up and blurred background (short depth of field).

Silver is very (and I do mean very) reflective, ESPECIALLY when using natural light, which I use to take the shots for my blog. We have a wall of windows and I like to take advantage of those. After reviewing the 20+ photos I took of these goblets, I found that I could only use a few. The close-up photos were so reflective with the natural light that they blurred on themselves. Does that make any sense? They had sort of a foggy haze. So, I had to pull back to shoot and crop the image for the close-ups.

It was interesting since I've been shooting for over 20 years and have never seen that. Of course, I've always primarily shot portraits and no one's face is reflective enough to haze over. At least not that I've seen. :-)

So, in addition to looking at beautiful silver goblets, you get a little photo lesson. Another two-fer! :-)

They are absolutely beautiful, Benita, and your photos are stunning. I am learning how to use my big girl camera and there is a lot of trial and error. I too adore silver, but don't own any. I always look at yard sales and thrift stores, but I haven't yet found even one piece that is less than a hundred dollars and I am not looking to spend that much. I just want a sparkly trinket or two!

Thank you so much Kim! I enjoy photography so much and like being able to experiment and learn. Keep experimenting with the camera. I took a few classes but everything else was trial and error. And to me, there is no right or wrong way...just pick what you like.

I've been fortunate that I've been able to find pieces that are inexpensive. These little goblets were $2.00 at a yard sale. They looked awful but cleaned up nicely. I've never paid more than $20 and that is for the large pieces or for a set of 8 forks, spoons, etc. I always look for the worst looking pieces and then try to bargain for them when I think it's appropriate! Hopefully you will find some soon. I love the sparkly...LOL. Have a great weekend!

You are quite welcome and thank you so much! I learn new stuff all the time – might as well share it and save someone else a little trouble. :-) I finally found a little point and shoot that I just love and it has some different settings and cool features. I experiment with that a pretty good and it takes some pretty good pics. Have a wonderful weekend!

Gorgeous photos Benita. I think reflective surfaces are one of the hardest to do. I have many mirrors in my home and it seems that wherever I stand I always somehow end up in the shot. Thanks for linking at Shabbilicious Friday.

I like them tarnished also. I will bring them home, clean them up and then let them tarnish back down. I usually don't clean them again until I just can't stand it anymore...LOL. Thanks so much and have a great evening!